Sondheim Society Student Performer of the Year winner, Corrine Priest, and Stiles & Drewe Best New Song finalist, Tim Connor, join forces for the studio recording of new song-cycle, Heart of Winter

Auburn Jam Records is pleased to be releasing the premiere recording of new one-woman song cycle, Heart of Winter. With music and lyrics by Tim Connor, and story and dramaturgy by Lia Buddle, the songs tell the funny, heart-warming and down-to-earth story of Kate, a primary schoolteacher in her mid-twenties, living up North. Her relationship of three years is over, and she is trying to adjust to her new life without Adam. With the help of her mum, her close friends and a large tub of Ben & Jerry’s, she is battling the harsh reality of winter to find the new hope of spring.

Originating the role of Kate for this premiere recording is Corrine Priest. Corrine won the Stephen Sondheim Society Student Performer of the Year Award at the Garrick Theatre in May 2014. She made her professional debut in GOD at London Theatre Workshop to rave reviews, and has just made her West End debut as Lucy in USHERS: The Front of House Musical at The Arts Theatre.

“Occasionally, very occasionally, you see a newcomer perform to a standard that you could not imagine being improved upon even by a major star, such was the case with Priest.”

– Sondheim Magazine (Review of GOD, London Theatre Workshop)

“Corrine Priest gives every indication of being a talent bound for very high rank. This young lady is in contact with every nuance of every line she sings… she is an actress first and singer second… the Janie Dee of the next generation.”

– Musical Theatre Review (Review of SSSPOTY, Garrick Theatre)

“Corrine Priest stands out a mile with vocals and personality… she then absolutely brings the house down and stops the show as Priest absolutely nails every comedic moment.”

– The Stage (Review of SSSPOTY, Garrick Theatre)

The recording will be released on November 30th, and will be available to download via all major online retailers including iTunes and Amazon MP3. A limited run of physical CD copies, an ideal Christmas gift for fans of new musicals, can be ordered now via the website Heart of Winter, where links can also be found to purchase sheet music and backing tracks to the songs (available from November 30th), perfect for performers looking for new audition material.

Tim Connor and Lia Buddle say of Heart of Winter:

“We started to dream up Kate’s story nearly ten years ago, as friends fresh out of university. We worked away in our shared flat, with Tim constantly asking Lia questions about what it was like from a girl’s point of view at different stages of a relationship. He’d then turn his scribbles into songs, after which we’d tweak lyrics and narrative points together. As we both recently reached the milestone age of 30, we felt it was time to share our song cycle with the wider world. Listening back, it captures an important – and joyous – time in our lives. We’re beyond thrilled that Corrine Priest agreed to record the piece with us. Her enormous talent and great sense of humour have brought a fresh perspective to our work”

Further Information:

About Corrine Priest (Kate):

Corrine is originally from Weston-Super-Mare in Somerset. Before attending London School of Musical Theatre Corrine gained a 1st Class Degree in Musical Theatre from Bath Spa University. Whilst training, Corrine’s credits included Viv Nicholson in Spend Spend Spend, Ophelia in Hamlet (Excerpt), Girl 5 / Whore in Les Miserables (Workshop), Ru / ensemble in Merrily We Roll Along (Workshop), The Kolokolo bird in Just So (Musical), From Page To Stage at The Landor.

Corrine won the Stephen Sondheim Society Student Performer of the Year Award at the Garrick Theatre in May 2014 and made her professional debut in GOD at London Theatre Workshop and since then has appeared as Amy in Girlfriends, Union Theatre and most recently has been playing Lucy in USHERS: The Front of House Musical, at The Arts Theatre after a transfer from its successful run at the Edinburgh Fringe. She is soon to be appearing in A Christmas Carol as The Ghost of Christmas Past at Blackpool Winter Gardens Opera House this Christmas alongside Paul Nicholas as Scrooge. www.corrinepriest.com | www.twitter.com/CorrinePriest

About Tim Connor (Composer/Lyricist):

Training: The Bridewell Theatre, AMOS and MMD Lab. Shows: Music and lyrics for The Stationmaster with librettist Susannah Pearse (receiving its London premiere at Tristan Bates Theatre in November 2015); Heart of Winter with story, dramaturgy and direction by Lia Buddle (Leicester Square Theatre and Union Theatre). Tim’s songs have been performed by various West End singers in cabarets and concerts at established London venues including St James Theatre, Crazy Coqs, The Pheasantry, Soho Theatre and Wilton’s Music Hall. His ballad, The Little Match Girl, was recorded by Janie Dee and was broadcast on Loose Ends for BBC Radio, and included in the 2014 MAD for Christmas album in aid of the Make A Difference Trust. Tim’s song ‘The 6:59’ from The Stationmaster was performed at the Garrick Theatre as a finalist in the Stiles & Drew Best New Song competition 2014.

About Lia Buddle (Story/Dramaturgy):

Alongside writing with Tim, Lia works in theatre production and administration. Currently Artistic Assistant at English National Ballet, previous roles include Company Manager for the ENB 2015 tour to China and Singapore; Assistant to producer Michael McCabe at MMP and Joe Public Ltd (Wicked, Million Dollar Quartet, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory); Administrator at Battersea Arts Centre. Lia took part in the Stage One Workshop for New Producers in 2011. Production experience includes: Producer for Amo Theatre’s Tartuffe at The Space; Assistant Director for Pact Imagination Theatre’s Little Fish by Sarah-Lisa Wilkinson at The Space; Producer for Elegies for Angels, Punks and Raging Queens at the European Student Drama Festival Acthea in France; Director/Choreographer of The Musical of Musicals, the Musical! for Throwaway Theatre, winner of an Edinburgh Fringe Sell-Out Award.

I Wasn’t Thinking At All, a cabaret showcase of new writing performed by a stellar cast of West End and Off-West End vocalists, featuring songs by song-writing team Eyles & Gould, will be presented at The Pheasantry, King’s Road, Chelsea on the evening of Sunday October 11. The show will include songs from the score of Eyles and Gould’s musical A Pebble For Aaron.

Rob Eyles is an actor/singer/songwriter whose stage credits include roles in Dreamboats And Petticoats and the epic World War 1 musical 14-18. Robert Gould is the librettist/lyricist of musicals My Land’s Shore, Grace Notes and Based On A True Story (all written with composer Christopher J. Orton), whose album of songs with his lyrics, Words Shared With Friends, was nominated for a Broadwayworld Album Award in 2014 as Best Compilation Album. Eyles and Gould began collaborating in July 2014 and some of their songs were performed at the “Writers’ Playground” concert of new writing at the Union Theatre in September 2014 and some of their work was featured in the concert New Words Shared With Friends at The Battersea Barge in May 2015.

London, 4th September—pbm presents ONE NIGHT STAND, a collection of 20 exclusive tracks from over 20 years of Paul Boyd’s musicals, performed by original cast members, digitally re-mastered and remixed. It features songs from internationally acclaimed musicals such as ALICE and RED, numbers from recent hit shows like HUNCHBACK and TINSELTOWN, remixed recordings from the award-nominated productions McCOOL and THE HAUNTING OF HELENA, rare tracks from Paul’s archive of scores, cabaret songs, and dance shows which show his varied range from stunning power ballads to high camp to haunting instrumentals. The album includes special versions of songs from his cult hit MOLLY WOBBLYincluding the racy title track One Night Stand.

“It’s been an exciting process sifting through my archives of more than 20 shows,” says Paul Boyd. “There are some numbers I hadn’t listened to in years and I’ve really enjoyed re-mastering them, as well as putting a new twist on more recent ones,” he added.ONE NIGHT STAND featuring a full-colour pdf collectors’ booklet will be available to download on 21st September from iTunes and Google Play as well as dozens of other online retailers. A limited edition CD is priced at £10 and all tracks will also be available on streaming services such as Apple Music and Spotify
Full details and a list of tracks can be viewed at paulboydmusic.com

After several months of relying on a temporary website with limited functionality, we are now back with a new hosting solution which we are confident will be much more robust than the old one – this should see the end of those annoying “Account Suspended” notices which seemed to pop up regularly!

We’d like to thank Jeff Pullinger of Existence (www.existenceltd.com) for his hard work in recovering the files and getting us up and running again.

A few people have been asking about the “Donate” button which we have added to the sidebar on the right hand side of the website.

There are naturally a few costs involved in maintaining the website, and if anyone would like to help out with those costs by donating some money of course we’d be very grateful. This is why it was decided to add a (hopefully discreet) button to the site.

However, we’re happy to confirm that everything on the NMN website is, and will remain, free of charge. The only exception is the music proof-reading service, which those who have used it have found very useful and well worth the money!

If you have any questions please don’t hesitate to get in touch using the contact form.

Sarah Crook of Mercury Musical Developments has been in touch with the following message:

This is just a gentle reminder that the deadline for this fantastic initiative is just around the corner. Midnight Sunday May 10th.

I know many of you are in the process of applying, and we look forward to receiving your entry – but we also ask you to forward the details far and wide so it reaches as many writers as possible.

The S&S Award is searching for the most promising new unproduced musical of the year – Might that be your show?

For everyone that has already submitted for this year, thank you and good luck.

Here are some more details:
2014/15 has proved a fantastic year for The S&S Award. We were delighted to announce that we have linked up with Leicester Curve, the home of new British musicals, and that with new Artistic Director Nikolai Foster and Executive Producer Chris Stafford we are exploring ways of expanding the Award even further. The Development Week of 2014’s winning show Stay Awake Jake, took place at Curve in late February. This – the first part of writer Tim Gilvin’s prize – was a retreat to work on his show with a team of top professional creatives, including director Matt Ryan and actor Jamie Muscato, both fresh from their recent hit with Dogfight at Southwark Playhouse, and musical director Jan Winstone. Since the 2014 Gala, Stay Awake Jake has gathered a lot of attention and we hear that a West End producer is already interested in taking the show to the next stage. Tim Gilvin says:

“The Development Week at Leicester Curve was an incredibly invaluable, interesting, intense and inspiring five days. Working with an absolute dream of a creative team, and being a part of the buzzing life of Curve, I was able to watch Stay Awake, Jake really come to life in a nurturing and supportive environment. I believe that the show has been enriched and improved into something that is cleaner, fuller and better and I am enormously grateful for the experience, which I’m sure will stay with me for a long time to come.”

So, what are we looking for?

A musical that is in development or is finished that has not yet had a professional production and does not have a confirmed professional production in the future. If you are unsure as to what constitutes a “professional production” please contact us directly and we will be more than happy to help. There are no boundaries – we encourage everything from the traditional to the experimental; from musical comedy to opera; from hip-hop to formal adaptations; from shows that stick to the rules to shows that break them.

The prize for the winning entry will be:

A week’s development workshop at Leicester Curve to work on the material with a professional cast, musical director and director, without the pressure of a presentation. The result of this development process will then be unveiled, in front of an audience of industry luminaries at…

The S&S Award Gala at London’s St James Theatre. The Gala is fast becoming a fixture in the West End theatre calendar. The Award is formally presented at this event and previous Award presenters have been Michael Ball, Don Black and Nigel Harman.

This year our judges will create a shortlist from which are selected three finalists. From these finalists the winner will be picked. A short extract from each of the finalists will be presented at the Gala and the winner announced on the night.

A feature of last year’s Award which proved extremely popular was that each entrant received anonymous judges’ feedback. We are pleased to say that we will be continuing with this process this year.

Submission Details
This year we’ve made it easier to enter. Simply apply for an Application Form from me, Sarah, at sarah@mercurymusicals.com and follow the easy step-by-step guide.
Once your application form is completed please email back to me with your 4 songs (songs can be on separate emails if too large)

The following will be required:

Ø A synopsis of the show – MAX 300 words
Ø 4 songs – 4 lyric sheets – must be MP3s – preferably demonstrating different aspects of the show’s musical content, ie please do not submit four ballads or four up-tempo numbers.
Ø 2 scenes – one of which must contain one of the submitted songs. If the show is sung-through, please submit 20 pages of script which you feel best represents your show
Ø What makes your show special? – MAX 100 words

Any one writing team or individual writer may submit a maximum of two shows.

At least one member of the writing team (book/music/lyrics) must be a member of MMD or BML (Book Music Lyrics).

If your show has been submitted once before but has undergone significant re-working (evidence will be required) you may submit again.

If you have submitted your show twice previously you cannot unfortunately submit again, but please feel free to submit a different show.

Timelines

Deadline for submissions is Sunday 10th May (midnight)

Following the shortlisting process, the three finalists will be announced towards the end of August.

NMN’s Peter Auker recently caught up with Claudio Macor and Paul Boyd, writer and composer of the current film-noir inspired sensation playing at The Landor Theatre, In The Dead of Night.

You’ll find a brief snippet of the conversation to whet your appetite below, but you can read the full discussion HERE.

Peter Auker: Claudio, perhaps you could you give us a quick introduction to the play and its setting?

Claudio Macor: Well it’s set in South America, or somewhere in South America – not in a specific place but somewhere I’ve created. It’s called La Roca, which is a shanty town, and it’s set in a bar down by the docks. The bar is owned by Elvira, an aging prostitute who has a gigolo Massimo and a prostitute Rita working for her. It’s basically the machinations of the various characters – there’s a corrupt government official Falchi, who is in love with Elvira, who comes in and threatens to knock everything down and get rid of everything. Of course, the play is a film noir style, and it is written in a film noir dialogue style.

PA: So in fact it’s not actually a film that you have transferred to the stage?

CM: No, it’s not based on a film – it’s not based on Gilda or Casablanca or Double Indemnity or any of those films, but when you see it you’ll see flavours of all those films, and inspiration from all those films because I do love the film noir genre very much. It comes off the back of having done The Tailor Made Man first of all as a play and then as a musical a couple of years ago. I’ve done the play eight times, and in those various productions, both in London and off-Broadway, I was lucky to meet a lot of people who knew William Haines or who had worked in the Hollywood system. And after having done the musical I thought “I wonder what the film noir films, would have been like if they had been allowed free rein, they would have allowed no censorship, no production code, and no bombastic film moguls screaming at writers and directors to keep more tame. That got my mind going and I thought “what if I did my film noir with everything they were not allowed to do – gay love story, drugs, crime, prostitutes, everything that they were not allowed to do in the 1940s.

Following two successful concerts at the Leicester Square Theatre Lounge and the
launch of the Broadwayworld Album Awards nominated album WORDS
SHARED WITH FRIENDS in 2014, a third concert of songs with lyrics by
Robert Gould will be presented at the Battersea Barge on Sunday May 10.

Robert Gould is a musical theatre librettist & lyricist who has also co-written
songs in the pop, rock & folk genres. His musical theatre credits include the
musicals MY LAND’S SHORE, BASED ON A TRUE STORY & GRACE
NOTES (all with composer Christopher J. Orton), ROUNDABOUT (with
songwriter Joe Sterling), A PEBBLE FOR AARON (with composer Rob Eyles)
and SHADOW ON THE SUN (with composer Omri Lahav). He wrote lyrics for
the albums MORE WITH EVERY LINE and SURROUNDED BY THE SOUNDS
(with music by Tim Prottey-Jones) and SOMEWHERE IN MY MIND – THE
SONGS OF JOE STERLING.

Shetland), Michael Rees (Girlfriends), Oli Reynolds (Pacific Overtures), Michael
Riseley (Les Miserables) and singer/songwriter Serenity Wanders.
Musical direction and accompaniment will be provided by Rob Eyles, Joe Davison
and Alex James Ellison and the show will be produced by Carrie Baxter.

It’s always good to be able to report on musical theatre initiatives which seem genuinely innovative, and it was fascinating to hear about a new work being premiered at London’s Landor Theatre in April – In The Dead Of The Night.

In the Dead of Night, a play by Claudio Macor will run from 22nd April to 16th May and will be directed by the playwright.

Acclaimed actress Judith Paris (Doctor Who, The Devils, The Rainbow) will play fading femme fatale Elvira, opposite Ned Wolfgang Kelly as her younger paramour Falchi. Noted character actor Ian Dring is to play the reptilian Martinez. Tristan Robin has been cast as enigmatic drifter Raul, paired with Susannah Allman as Elvira’s protégé Rita. Jordan Alexander will play gigolo Massimo and Matt Mella takes the role of mob boss’s son Leandro. Javier Garcia, Danny Harris, Joshua Clare and Rhiane Drummond complete the ensemble.

In the Dead of Night brings the classic dark, steamy atmosphere of film noir to the stage in this
tale of eroticism, murder, and power. In a shady South American town at the end of World War II, a gloomy underworld of crime and corruption pulses to a Latin rhythm. Set in a dockside bar, a black and white world of life and death bursts into colour with its coterie of characters – both gay and straight – under the watch of femme fatale, Elvira. Unencumbered by the strict censorship of the original 1940s film noir genre, and with the addition of sensual dance sequences, In the Dead of Night expresses desires and deeds never allowed on screen at that time.

“With In the Dead of Night, playwright Claudio Macor (The Tailor-Made Man, Venetian Heat) has set out to show all the gritty reality of the film noir genre freed from the restrictions of the infamous Hollywood Production Code of the 30s and 40s,” says producer Andrea Leoncini “In this play, passionate love between both straight and gay couples is shown openly, dialogue is frank, and crime is seen to pay. Adding to the sense of passion and drama, Macor has woven in scenes of sensuous dance which highlight the erotic tensions and formerly forbidden love”.

Choreography of the dance sequences will be by Anthony Whiteman (Bel Ami) and, in true film noir style, composer Paul Boyd (Molly Wobbly) is creating an original score for the play’s incidental music and dance.

Treelah, a brand new family musical being developed by composer Daniel Loveday, is looking for crowdfunding pledges.
The central character ‘Treelah’ is half child, half tree with a beautiful singing voice that gives the listener courage, but everybody wants a piece of this amazing discovery from the forest and they are prepared to do anything to hear the song. The threat that overwhelms Treelah is a metaphor for the destruction of the environment. It will be performed at Tiverton, Devon, October 30-31 2015.
The Treelah website, where you can also hear three of the songs: www.treelah.co.uk/index.html

The producers are looking for crowdfunding pledges towards the cost of hiring rehearsal space between July and October, this will be £740. Daniel Loveday said “If you love musical theatre, or care about the environment, or want to help a community theatre project happen then help us put this show on by giving a pledge. The pledge will reward individuals with tickets or allow businesses to advertise in the programme.”Treelah’s crowdfunder site can be found here: www.crowdfunder.co.uk/treelah-community-theatre-project-1
An exciting community theatre project, led by Patterns Theatre Company (a non-profit group), the show will be cast from in, and around, the Tiverton community and features predominantly young teenagers and adults, although there will also be small parts for younger children. The title character will be a puppet based on the winning design received from primary school children in the learning community. Auditions will be open to all members of the community, whether experienced performers or not, and will take a friendly, fun workshop format. It is also the intention to take workshops into local schools to encourage students who may not have performed before.